Vehicle washing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A curtain used in a mechanized vehicle washing system includes a base mounting the curtain for reciprocating motion and a plurality of elongated strips hanging downwardly from the base. Each strip has two opposite side surfaces. A plurality of independently movable shingles are provided on the two opposite side surfaces of each of the plurality of elongated strips. Each shingle is made of a deep pile, fur-like material.

This application is a continuation, division, of application Ser. No.07/476,907 filed Feb. 9, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,859.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a mechanized vehicle washingapparatus utilizing an improved cleaning material and, morespecifically, to a deep pile fur-like cleaning material, and amechanized vehicle washing apparatus employing the material.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the field of mechanized vehicle washing, improvements have been madeover the years to the mechanical structure which facilitates themovement of rotating brush assemblies over and around the surfaces of anautomobile to be cleaned. One such advancement in the art is describedin U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,003, which describes therein a vehicle washingapparatus which includes a supporting frame, a brush support armpivotally mounted at one end directly to the frame, a rotatable mountfor mounting a rotatable brush at the distal end of the arm, and a drivefor rotating the brush. Referring to FIG. 1, a brush assembly of thecleaning apparatus swings about pivot axis A, rotates about axis B, andswivels in the direction C. A rotatable shaft 20 carries a bristle drumwhich has bristles 24 projecting radially outwardly from an outercylindrical surface thereof.

While mechanized vehicle washing is generally accepted, there has been arecent trend back to hand washing, whereby softer cleaning materials canbe employed, thus obviating the need for bristle-type brush assembliesas illustrated in FIG. 1.

Hand washing may be desirable, but it has practical limitations. Forexample, it is labor intensive, and adequate supply of inexpensive laborcannot be guaranteed. Even if cheap labor is available, the quality ofthe wash is often not as good as with mechanized systems which ensurecomplete coverage of vehicle surfaces.

It is generally known to provide a brush assembly similar to the oneillustrated in FIG. 1, in which strips of cloth are mounted on the brushhub 22 instead of the bristles 24. Normally, the brush hub 22 has adiameter of between four and five inches, sometimes up to thirteeninches, yet the overall diameter when the cloth strips extend radiallyoutwardly in a substantially horizontal disposition under centrifugalforce, is about forty inches. The strips of cloth have a length whichtends to cause them to wrap around radio antennae, rear view mirrors,bumpers, etc., thus causing damage to the strips and to the cars theyare cleaning.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,359 (Bivens) describes a brush assembly having aninflatable core and a plurality of strips of felt-like material. Thestrips of felt-like material vary in length along the support shaft soas to provide a uniform outer diameter even though the inflatable coreis provided only on a medial portion of the shaft. Although theinflatable core is provided for safety reasons, many of the strips offelt-like cloth are long enough in the radial direction to damageantennae, mirrors, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to use hand washing materials in amechanized vehicle washing system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanizedvehicle washing apparatus which is capable of achieving hand washquality.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle washingapparatus which uses non-abrasive materials similar to those used in ahand washing operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle washingapparatus that can be easily assembled and disassembled.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle washingapparatus which operates quietly as compared to conventional deviceswhich employ bristles and/or elongated flaps.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a supportstructure used in a vehicle washing apparatus capable of resilientdeformation to accommodate varying contours of a vehicle body.

These and other objects of the invention are met by providing a vehiclewashing apparatus which includes a rotatable shaft having opposite axialend portions, resilient means coupled to the shaft and forming askeletal frame, and a fabric cover overlying and being detachablycoupled to the skeletal frame.

In another aspect of the invention, the skeletal frame is replaced by acore member made of resilient foam material. The fabric cover is thenapplied directly over an outer surface of the core member.

In either of the above embodiments, the fabric cover is made of asynthetic fur-like deep pile material, which is formed as a wrap-aroundsheet having a plurality of fabric shingles of the same materialextending radially outwardly under centrifugal force.

In another aspect of the present invention, a curtain mountable on areciprocating support includes a base portion for hanging the curtain onthe support, a plurality of elongated parallel strips hanging downwardlyfrom the base portion, each elongated strip having opposite sidesurfaces, and a plurality of shingles connected to the opposite sidesurfaces of the elongated parallel strips.

The curtain is made of the same fabric used in the vehicle washingapparatus described above, specifically, the synthetic fur-like deeppile material.

In still another aspect of the present invention, a mechanized vehiclewashing apparatus includes at least one movable support, and a cleaningelement carried by the at least one movable support, the cleaningelement being made of a deep pile, fur-like material.

These and other features and advantages of the vehicle washing apparatusof the present invention will become more apparent with reference to thefollowing detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a known vehicle washing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partially cut away, showing a first,preferred embodiment of the present invention, with portions of thecover not shown for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the structure illustratedin FIG. 2;

FIG. 4(a) is a top plan view of a base sheet component of a cover whichis used in the preferred embodiment of the present inventions, with theshingle component being removed for illustration;

FIG. 4(b) is a top plan view of the cover, showing both the base sheetand shingle components;

FIG. 4(c) is a top plan view showing one of the shingle segments whichare sewn to the base sheet;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the skeletal frame subassembly whichcarries the fabric sheet according to the present invention;

FIG. 6(a) is a perspective view of a known curtain used in a mechanizedvehicle washing apparatus;

FIG. 6(b) is an end view of the curtain shown in FIG. 6(a):

FIG. 6(c) is an end view of the curtain of FIG. 6(a) duringreciprocating movement of the support;

FIGS. 7(a)-7(c) are views corresponding to FIGS. 6(a)-6(c) of apreferred embodiment of a curtain according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of a piece of the materialused in making the shingles and/or base of the cover according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a second, preferredembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the FIG. 9 embodiment(less phantom lines illustrating shingles) and demonstrating how thecore material contour of a vehicle being washed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a vehicle washing apparatus is generallyreferred to by the numeral 30. A rotatable shaft 20 carries a pair ofspaced-apart plates 32 and 34, each of which is secured to the shaft forrotation therewith through collars 36 and 38, respectively. Each collarhas at least one set screw 40 threadedly engaging a transverse boreprovided in a sleeve portion 42 of the collar. A flange portion 44 ofeach collar is attached to one of the plates by any suitable fastenermeans, such as threaded bolts and nuts.

Preferably, the plates 32 and 34 are made of plastic material, and thecollars 36 and 38 are made of metal.

A plurality of elastic cords 46 extend between the circumferential edges48 and 50 of the plates 32 and 34, respectively. The elastic cords aregenerically known as "shock" cords and are commercially available. Thecords 46 are spaced radially around each plate at equidistant intervals.In FIG. 5, thirty-two such cords are shown. In another embodiment (notillustrated), thirty-six cords are provided at ten degree intervalsaround the circumference in a parallel manner. Also, the cords may beprovided individually as separate cords, or all of the may be united asa single strand which is laced through holes, or around mounting hooks(not illustrated) provided around the peripheral region of the plates.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a lacing technique, in which the cords46 are integrally formed as a single strand which is laced through aplurality of openings 48 formed radially around each plate (plate 32being illustrated in FIG. 5) along a common radius.

The upper (outer) surface 51 of the plate 32 is provided with an annularstrip 52 of either micro-hook or micro-loop complementary fastenermeans, such as VELCRO, which coacts with an overlaid annular strip ofopposite type material provided on an inner surface of a cover 54 whichis wrapped around the plate and cord sub-assembly (corresponding toplates 32 and 34, and the cords 46). The complementary fastener meansthus positionally fixes and detachably connects the cover 54 to askeletal frame subassembly. The connection is further enhanced by anannularly disposed drawstring 56 which is sewn into the upper portion ofthe cover 54 near the strip of fastener material.

The cover 54, only partially illustrated in FIG. 2, has essentially twoaspects: a base component and a shingle component. The base component isa wraparound sheet 58, the opposite ends of which are adjoined bycomplementary fastener means, such as the VELCRO fasteners used on theouter surfaces of the plates 32 and 34. For example, FIG. 2 illustratesa substantially vertically oriented strip 60 of complementary fastenermaterial, such as either micro-hook or micro-loop strips which coactwith material provided on the opposite end of the sheet 58 (which is cutaway in FIG. 2 for illustrative purposes).

As shown in FIG. 8, the sheet 58 is preferably a deep pile, tufted(randomly oriented) monfilament fibrous material manufactured by BorgFabrics, of New York, N.Y. The fabric is a deep pile material which hasa fur-like appearance. The deep pile, fur-like material preferably has athickness of at least 1/2 inch. In a preferred embodiment, the deeppile, fur-like material has a depth or thickness of approximately 3/4 ofan inch. The fibers of the material are 85% polyester and 15% acrylic. Asmall section of this material is illustrated in FIG. 8 as a thickcluster of tufted monfilament fibers 62 upstanding from a woven base 64which provides a fabric layer. The base 64 is made of 100% polyester, orother comparable materials. This woven base provides an elastic backingwhich is particularly suitable for a hand washed effect. A non-elasticbacking 65 could be applied to the base 64 to prevent stretching,particularly when the material is used as a curtain in which thematerial hangs downwardly. The backing 65 could be connected bystitching or by adhesive bonding or other suitable means to the base 64.If the backing 65 is applied, the material becomes non-elastic, butremains flexible. As a further alternative, the monofilament fibers 62may extend in opposite directions from both sides of the base 64 so asto avoid having to stitch two pieces of material with their basesopposing each other to form the shingles 70. Although it is sufficientfor each shingle section to have the fibrous material extendingoutwardly from a base layer, each shingle section 66 may be made of twosections overlying each other so that the opposite sides of theindividual shingles have the fibers extending outwardly therefrom. Toavoid overlying two pieces, a single piece in which the fibers extendoutwardly from opposite surfaces of the base could be used. Thisparticular material is exceptionally soft and capable of retainingwater. Moreover, the dense clustering of monofilament fibers enhancesdetergent foaming. However other materials may be used as the basecomponent, such as canvas. Canvas represents one alternative since it isa strong, woven fabric which can withstand the adverse conditionsimposed upon it by a mechanized vehicle washing system.

The shingle component is attached to the sheet 58 as a plurality ofshingle sections 66, each of which has an attachment portion 68 and aplurality of shingles 70 which extend radially outwardly therefrom. Theshingle sections are sewn or otherwise attached by suitable means to thesheet 58 in an overlapping, parallel distribution so that when laid out,the adjacent shingles of one section cover the attachment portion of thenext section. Each shingle section 66 is cut out of a single,rectangularly shaped piece of the deep pile, fur-like material which wasdescribed above. As mentioned above, in order to have the fibrousmaterial extend from both opposite surfaces of each individual shingle70, two shingle sections 66 can be stitched or otherwise connected toeach other by overlying the smooth bases thereof.

As an alternative to relatively small, individual shingles 70, eachshingle section can be formed as a single, large shingle in which thereare no horizontal cuts between individual shingles. Thus, referring toFIG. 4(c), instead of having eight individual shingles extendingoutwardly from a base portion 68, a single shingle 70 would extendoutwardly from the base portion 68. This large shingle would have thesame overall, outer dimensions of the shingle section 66, but would nothave the individual, horizontal cuts which define the individual smallershingles 70.

FIG. 4(a) shows the sheet 58 prior to attaching any of the shinglesections 66, and further illustrating the VELCRO strips 52 and 60. FIG.4(b) illustrates the base sheet 58 with the plurality of shinglesections 66 attached thereto. It should also be noted that the basesheet 58 in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) forms a cone-shaped cover when wrappedaround the two plates 32 and 34, due to the fact that in the illustratedembodiment, the upper plate 32 has a larger diameter than the lowerplate 34. In the alternative, both plates can have the same diameter soas to define a cylindrically shaped support structure. In this case, thebase sheet 58 will be rectangular instead of trapezoidal. In FIG. 3, theindividual shingles 70 are illustrated in a radially extending positionwhich is achieved by centrifugal force generated by rotation of thesupport shaft 20. When the shaft 20 is not rotating, the shingles 70will droop downwardly since the deep pile material of which the shinglesare made is pliable. Each shingle 70 should have a diametrically opposedshingle to balance the overall structure during rotation.

The length of the shingles 70 when radially extended is selected so asto avoid damage to vehicles. In the preferred embodiment, the overalldiameter of the apparatus measured from the distal ends of diametricallyopposed shingles 70 is about 40 inches, with the diameter of the platesbeing about twenty-six inches and the extended length of each shinglebeing about seven inches (fourteen inches total for two diametricallyopposed shingles), thus defining a preferred ratio of inner drumdiameter to shingle length to be 0.65. This is substantially less thanpreviously used brush assemblies, in which the support drum was providedwith a minimal diameter, and the bristles or strips were given a moresubstantial length.

The small ratio described above is in part the result of the resilientnature of the skeletal support, which is formed by the plates and theelastic cords. Normally, the small diameter support drum with elongatedbristles or strips is required because as a vehicle passes through thesystem, the variations in vehicle contour and size result in more orless constant changes in the distance between the inner support drum andthe vehicle surfaces which are being cleaned. The prior use of elongatedbristles or strips compensated for these variations so as to provide, asmuch as possible, an even scrubbing action on the vehicle throughout thelength of the brush assembly.

According to the present invention, as the vehicle contour changes, andthus the relative distances between the vehicle surfaces and the supportdrum, movement of the vehicle surfaces closer to the rotatable shaft 20are compensated for by flexure of the cords 46. In other words, theelastic cords 46 allow the "drum" as well as the shingles to conform tothe shape of the vehicle.

While the shingles are illustrated to be rectangularly shaped, they mayalso be formed in other shapes, such as a mit having plural fingers. Thefingers will enhance the cleaning action of each shingle.

FIGS. 6(a)-6(c) illustrate a known curtain 72 which is commonly used inmechanized vehicle washing systems. Normally, the curtain 72 has asupporting portion 74 which is used to hang the curtain from areciprocating support rod (not shown). A plurality of elongated strips76 extend downwardly from the support portion 74. When the curtain isreciprocated in the direction of the directional arrows in FIG. 6(c),the strips 76 are caused to move sinusoidally at a given frequency ofoscillation, which is substantially a function of the periodic,reciprocating driving force.

An improved curtain according to the present invention is illustrated inFIGS. 7(a)-7(c), and is referred to by the numeral 78. The curtainaccording to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7(a)-7(c),and is referred to by the numeral 78. The curtain 78 includes a similarsupport portion 80 and a plurality of elongated strips 82. However,according to the present invention, a plurality of shingles 84 and 86are attached to opposite side surfaces of each of the elongated strips.It has been discovered by the inventor that the shingles on oppositesides of the strips 82 tend to increase the frequency of oscillation, asshown in FIG. 7(c), for the same amount of driving force. The increasedfrequency of oscillation tends to better emulate the small, circularhand movements of a "hand wash".

The shingles 84 and 86 are made of the same deep pile, fur-likemonofilament fibrous material described previously with respect to thecover. In the case of the curtain, the shingles may be sewn onindividually, or may be attached in individual strip-segments whichoverlie each elongated strip of the curtain. Moreover, the curtainitself may be made of the same fur-like material, or instead, thecurtain may be made of a felt or other suitable material to which theshingles are attached.

An advantage to the embodiment of FIGS. 7(a)-7(c) over the prior art isthat in FIG. 6(a)-6(c) it can be seen that the strips 76 have edges 76awhich do not come into contact with the vehicle sufficiently often to beeffective. In the present invention, each shingle 84 and 86 has acleaning edge 84a and 86a, which flops independently over the surface ofthe vehicle so as to enhance the overall cleaning action of the curtain.For example, if cleaning edges in the lower part of the curtain cannotmove because of being pressed against the vehicle, the cleaning edges ofthe upper shingles would be free to move and thus scrub the vehicle.

It should be noted that in variations of the described embodiments,additional plates may be used in the skeletal frame sub-assembly, andmore particularly, a medial plate may be disposed between the upper andlower plates 32 and 34. Also, if a longer skeletal frame sub-assembly isrequired, the cover may be made into separate segments which constituteupper and lower covers which are joined along a circular seam at amid-point of the structure.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIG. 9, wherein a hollow pipe 67 has two plates 69 and 71 fixedlyconnected thereto at spaced intervals by collars 73 and 75,respectively. Preferably, the pipe has a diameter of about five inchesand is thus wider than the diameter of the rotatable shaft 20illustrated in the previous embodiments.

Instead of the elastic cords which extend between the two plates in thefirst embodiment of the invention, the embodiment of FIG. 9 is providedwith a resilient core member 77 which is preferably a sheet of closedcell polymeric foam which is wrapped around the pipe 67, with the endsof the foam sheet being matched to provide a cylindrical outer surface.The ends may be joined by any suitable means, including adhesive and thewrapped disposition of the foam sheet around the pipe 67 may bereinforced by providing ties or string (not shown) wrapped around thecircumference of the foam material.

The end portion of the pipe 67 may be provided with a double sided tapeto reinforce the connection of the core material to the pipe forrotation therewith.

The outer cylindrical surface of the core material 77 is wrapped orenveloped by a cover made of the same material described in the previousembodiments. In FIG. 9, the cover is referred to by the numeral 79, andit may be attached to the core material 77 by means described previouslywith respect to the other embodiment, such as by providing VELCRO-typecomplementary fastener means on the outer surfaces of the plate 69 and71. The cover 79 may also be provided with VELCRO-type complementaryfastener means at its opposite end edges so as to enable the cover to bewrapped around the core material and then held as an endless loop byjoining the opposite ends of the sheet.

The cover 79 may be provided with shingles 81 as in the previousembodiment, around the periphery of the cover by attaching shinglesegments, or individual shingles thereto. As with the previousembodiment, it is preferred to provide the shingles with diametricopposites so that the overall assembly is balanced when rotated.

FIG. 10 illustrates an application of the embodiment of FIG. 9; however,the principles would also apply to the first embodiment which uses askeletal frame with elastic cords instead of a foam core element. InFIG. 10, the cover 79 is illustrated without the optional shingles 81which are shown in phantom lines in FIG. 9.

As a vehicle 83 is contacted by the cleaning apparatus, which is causedto rotate by drive means (not shown) the resilient foam core material 77conforms to the contour of the vehicle 83 so that the cover 79 likewiseconforms to the contour of the vehicle. This ensures maximum effectivecleaning of the vehicle, without causing damage which is sometimesassociated with bristled drums or drums carrying elongated flaps.

Numerous modifications and adaptations of the present invention will beapparent to those so skilled in the art and thus, it is intended by thefollowing claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations whichfall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed:
 1. A curtain used in a mechanized vehicle washingsystem, comprising:a base mounting the curtain for reciprocating motion;a plurality of elongated strips hanging downwardly from the base, eachstrip having two opposite side surfaces; and a plurality ofindependently movable shingles attached to each of the two opposite sidesurfaces of each of the plurality of elongated strips; each of saidshingles being made of a deep pile, fur-like material.
 2. A curtainaccording to claim 1, wherein the deep pile, fur-like material is atufted monofilament fibrous material which extends outwardly from afabric layer.
 3. A curtain according to claim 2, wherein the material isabout 85% polyester and 15% acrylic.
 4. A curtain according to claim 2,wherein the fabric layer is elastic.
 5. A curtain according to claim 4,wherein the fabric layer is made of polyester.
 6. A curtain according toclaim 5, further comprising a relatively non-elastic backing connectedto a smooth surface of the fabric layer.
 7. A curtain according to claim1, wherein the deep pile, fur-like material extends outwardly from abase layer.
 8. A curtain according to claim 7, wherein the deep pile,fur-like material extends outwardly from opposite surfaces of the baselayer.
 9. A curtain according to claim 7, wherein each shingle iscomprised of two sections overlying each other with the base layer ofone section being in opposed relationship to the base layer of the othersection whereby the deep pile, fur-like material extends outwardly fromopposite surfaces of each shingle.
 10. A curtain according to claim 7,wherein the base layer is comprised of canvas.